


New Life+

by DeltaNine



Series: We Who Live Here: Stories of a Pokemon Civilzation [1]
Category: Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Original Universe, Pokemon Fanfiction, Talking Pokemon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-01-06 08:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21223238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeltaNine/pseuds/DeltaNine
Summary: A Riolu runs from his mistakes with his best friend and prays that everything will go back to normal. But as he tries to take fate into his own hands and make a new life for himself, the consequences of his recent past threaten to catch up with him.We Who Live Here is a collection of stories taking place within an all-Pokemon world, focusing on the personal struggles and interpersonal relationships of those who reside in it.





	1. Strangers in a Strange Land

**Author's Note:**

> The work you are about to read is a story set in an original universe about a Pokemon civilization. Bear in mind that no canonical characters from the franchise will make appearances at any point during the course of this story.

They didn’t think there would be a gate to the city. They weren’t even expecting the wall. The two of them stood in the heat, looking up in awe at the buildings that lay beyond and reached to the heavens.

“Didn’t think we’d ever get here, eh Kievr?” The Riolu said with half a smile. He tapped the Quilava next to him on the shoulder. “Told you we’d make it eventually.”

The Quilava rolled his eyes and adjusted his crimson shawl. “Well, eventually was far too long for me,” he said. “We were out there for nearly two weeks, Tetris. We had almost no supplies, no money to buy supplies. We’re lucky that caravan found us outside of Junxion.”

Tetris shrugged. “We still made it. This place is our new opportunity at life. Whaddya say?” The Riolu’s eyes held hope that Kievr wouldn’t be too angry.

Kievr sighed. “I say we had no real reason to leave Sasbara,” he said. “Why you decided to rip us out of our perfectly fine lives is entirely beyond me.”

“Man, I told you before I have a reason. Come on,” Tetris said, “let’s take a tour of the town, shall we?” He took a breath and began to walk forward, through the gate and into the city. Kievr followed close behind him, muttering inaudible comments.

Paradicio stretched for a mile in front of them. The great trading hub of the southern coastline was host to buildings aplenty that longed to touch the stars, and the streets were as busy as the skyline. The pair had never seen such a diverse crowd before, nor one as dense. Not even the tourist groups that roamed through Sasbara were this large.

“Since you’ve been so adamant about staying here,” Kievr said while ducking under a Gurdurr carrying scrap, “then it’s up to you to find us a place to sleep until we can go home.”

“Fine, whatever,” Tetris groaned. “But we’ll probably be here for a while. So be prepared for something a bit more permanent, alright? As soon as I find some cash for us to use, anyway…”

Kievr stepped in front of Tetris and brought them to a halt. “You really did not think this through, did you?” He glared at the Riolu with piercing eyes. “You brought no money, no food, and we only have so many skills to offer for working purposes. How long do you expect us to last?”

“Long enough, man. Lay off it,” Tetris rebuked. “I told you before we got here. We’re staying as long as we need to. If that takes us a year-”

“A whole year?! That is crazy, even for you!” Kievr barked. He took a breath, and in a lower voice continued, “You better come up with something fast. I do not trust taking shelter in the streets for even one night here. There’s far too many people.”

Tetris sighed, then pushed past Kievr. “I got this under control. Come on, let’s go find the town hall or something. Local government ought to give us a hand.”

As they wound through the crowded streets, Tetris browsed through the memories of recent events he and his best friend had been through. Two weeks ago, they had left their hometown in search of a new life. Kievr didn’t believe that it was a permanent move, and several times during stops to towns along the way tried to turn themselves back around and head home. It took a long discussion to convince the Quilava to keep going. Not that the two would have separated on disagreement, anyway.

They came upon a large open plaza. A large fountain spiraled up from the center and struck the rays of light from the afternoon sun. The crowd thinned slightly, but the bustle didn’t allow for anyone to stop and admire the sights. Just beyond, on the opposite side, stood a very square building with colorful banners hanging on the outside walls.

“That’s gotta be it.” Tetris had confidence in his statement. “I hope this doesn’t take too long.”

Kievr shook his head. “Knowing bureaucracy, everything takes too long,” he muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”

The two of them strode forward through the citizens and made it inside. The interior of the town hall was very plain; not much decoration aside from a few abstract paintings and a potted plant in the corner of the lobby. A few other Pokemon sat in the chairs waiting for something, while the secretaries took care of business as usual. Tetris and Kievr fell in line and waited for what felt like an hour before getting their turn.

“Welcome to the Paradicio Town Offices, what can we do for you?” said the Blissey behind the desk.

Kievr cleared his throat. “We’ve just come into town, miss, and looking for a new home. Unfortunately, we have little with us and can’t afford an apartment outright. Is there any sort of public assistance program we could apply for?”

The Blissey eyed him up for a moment. “There is,” she said. “You’ll want to talk with the director of that program. Down the hallway, take the second right and go up the stairs. From there, his office is the furthest back on the left.”

Kievr gave the secretary a nod. “Thank you very much.” He waved for Tetris to follow him closely. It was a short walk, and minutes later they stood outside the door.

The sign on the glass read ‘Out for Lunch.’

“Fuck me,” Tetris moaned as he kicked the air. “Figures that our timing is shit. Now what? I’m not waiting for maybe an hour for this guy to get back.”

“Calm down, Tetris,” Kievr said. “I’m sure they’ll be back soon. We can plead our case then. Until now, we stay put.”

Tetris pulled on his fur and posted himself against the wall. There was no point in arguing. But if this official didn’t return, then…

Footsteps from the stairwell five minutes later woke the pair up from their daydreaming. A Medicham came up the way, a set of keys twirling around their fingers. They stopped short of the office and looked at Kievr.

“I take it you two are here to see the Director of Public Assistance?” he said. “That would be me. I’m Jensen Adams. Come on inside.”

Tetris audibly sighed with relief. Finally, they could get started on a new life.

\-----

“Seven months. Seven months, man!” Tetris exclaimed. “That’s absolutely ridiculous! We’re homeless for over half a year!”

“You don’t have to announce our problems to the world, Tetris.” Kievr had a quiet seeth to his voice. “We’ll just have to work through a stay at a hotel. It will be awful, but we’ll live.”

The two stomped through the plaza to a nearby bench. In unison, they sat down and sighed in disappointment.

“Fuck, I’m such an idiot,” the Riolu complained. “Where the hell are we gonna go? If someone from- if someone unsavory finds us alone, we’re probably gonna get mugged.”

Kievr turned and spat a mote of anxious fire at the ground. “This was your idea. You’ve had a lot of dumb ideas, and you’ve gotten out of those somehow. We’ll find a way. I’m not letting you just quit because it got hard.”

Tetris sighed. “Yeah, you’ve had my back for over a decade, I know. I just… I thought this would be painless. I’m sorry.”

“You can apologize once we find housing,” Kievr said, calm and collected as ever. “But the proper channels have proven to take too long.”

A pause of quiet. “I hate to suggest this,” Tetris started, “but maybe we should just squat somewhere for a bit. Find an abandoned apartment.”

Kievr rolled his eyes. “This city is packed with denizens. Anything abandoned will either have been reclaimed or demolished. Even then, it’s illegal.”

“What other choice do we have? Dude, we’re broke. Bottom of the barrel. We need somewhere to build up from. Unless you’d rather go back to Sasbara and deal with Wale’s bullshit.”

Kievr frowned deeply. He turned away to face the ground. “...no. I would rather not.”

The two sat on the bench mulling the remaining options in their heads. Tetris’s plan was becoming more appealing as time passed; so long as they could stay relatively quiet and unseen, it might work out.

A set of footsteps approached them. “M-Maybe I can help?” interrupted a voice.

The Riolu and Quilava turned to their left to find a Zoroark standing by them. The fox looked to be taken aback by the fast reaction, the flash in his eyes regretting saying anything. He looked no older than them, perhaps even younger.

Tetris looked at Kievr, then back to the stranger. “Sorry, uh, what? And who are you?”

The Zoroark swallowed air. He straightened his back as best he could and adjusted the bronze-colored goggles on his head.

“My name i-is Xavier Chancell. I might be able to get you guys a bed for the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, then that means you've finished what is the starting point of over five years of work and worldbuilding for me. Thank you very much for sticking through it; I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> This project first came to life in September of 2013, when I joined a PMD-style group on deviantART, from where both Tetris and Kievr in their current forms were first born. For the next few years until I pulled out of that group, I built a tremendous world around them, to tell their story in- to tell many stories in. Up until, I've continued to revise and revisit this world and its denizens. Tetris and Kievr's is the first story to be recorded in this Pokemon universe, and the reason that Paradicio even exists. What you will read in the coming chapters is, what I hope to be, a compelling and enjoyable story of a young Riolu taking fate into his own hands.
> 
> I'm very proud of the end product I've created. I sincerely hope you'll be proud of it too, and join along for the ride. I appreciate any support you can give, and I swear that I will write a story you won't soon forget.
> 
> \- Delta


	2. A Place to Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetris and Kievr follow through on an offer for temporary housing, and begin to learn of the people who live in Paradicio.

Tetris laughed.

“Yeah, sure. What, do you own a hotel?” he remarked. The Riolu looked Xavier straight in the eye; when it was clear the fox was serious, the smile faded.

He cleared his throat and gestured for a moment to confer with his friend. “Shit, I think he’s serious,” he whispered. “How can he get us under a roof? He doesn’t look any older than I am.”

“If he is serious, we’d be wise to at least hear him out,” Kievr scolded. “It may not be a good option, but I’ll be damned to dismiss an honest person giving us a free miracle.”

Tetris rolled his eyes, nodded in agreement, and turned back to Xavier. “Alright, look,” he started, “how old are you, anyway?”

The Zoroark straightened up. The cringing shame from Tetris laughing at his suggestion faded. “I-I’ll be 17 next month,” he confessed. “I don’t have much, personally, but-”

“Good grief,” Tetris interrupted, paw pinching the bridge of his muzzle. “Ok. Almost 17. How can you get us shelter? For free, it seems?”

“My family’s got a spare bedroom!” Xavier blurted. He stopped, embarrassed by his volume, then went on. “I-I can talk to my parents and maybe let you stay for a few days. You know, until you get on your feet.”

Kievr leaned out to speak this time. “It doesn’t sound like you’ve taken much time to think this through. I do appreciate your sincere efforts to help, but you don’t know us. Why help?”

Xavier scratched his cheek and looked down at his idly-tapping toes. “...I just. Feel like I should?” he said, almost uncertain if that was the answer he was looking for. “From how you guys look, I’d guess you just arrived in Paradicio. I-It’s a big city, with a lot of mean streaks if you end up in the wrong place. I guess I just wanted to try and do some good for a change, like my father tells me to do...”

The Zoroark shook his head. “You know what, nevermind. Forget I said anything. You never saw me.”

As the fox turned to leave, Tetris and Kievr locked eyes. They exchanged nods, and Tetris hopped off the bench. “We’ll take it.”

Xavier whirled back, stunned. “W-What? Really?”

“With how you talk, I don’t think you’re pulling a fast one,” Tetris stated. “Trust me, I’d know. If you can really get us a place to stay, we’d be more than grateful. We’re desperate, really.”

“Not that desperate,” Kievr added with indignity, “but we are in need. We can promise not to cause trouble.”

Xavier’s eyes lit up, happy and proud of himself. “Okay, okay! Follow me! I live a few blocks down, come on!”

\---

A two-story townhouse awaited them. Red bricks, faded by the sun, with white shutters on tall windows. On the door was a wooden nameplate on a nail that read “The Chancell House''.

Tetris and Kievr stood back on the steps while Xavier gave the cedar door a knock. A shuffling later, and the door swung open to reveal a heavy-set Emboar.

“Welcome home, son!” he boomed with a huge grin. “You get those potatoes I asked for?”

Xavier shook his head. “Sorry, Dad. Mrs. Winds said her stores got flooded from all the rain last week. Most of her stock spoiled.”

“Bah, that’s unfortunate,” the Emboar said. “Hope that gal gets her ship righted soon. Come on in.”

Xavier waved for Tetris and Kievr to follow him inside, and were greeted by the living room immediately. A large red rug sat under the coffee table and was surrounded by one three-seat sofa and a recliner. Photos of various people, likely family, hung up on the wall that housed the staircase leading to the second floor. It was a very cozy room, all things given; the only thing missing was a fire going in the fireplace.

“Oh,” said the Emboar, “I didn’t realize you brought visitors.” He looked at Xavier. “You know how I feel about unannounced guests, kiddo.”

“S-Sorry, Dad!” the Zoroark said, shrinking in his space. “It wasn’t really planned until ten minutes ago.”

“I understand that, but rules are rules,” the firepig said. “It’s hard to prepare the house when I don’t know when folks are gonna be arriving. It’s especially hard when you bring two strangers with you.”

Xavier looked to the ground in shame and mumbled an apology. The Emboar gave him a forgiving pat on the head. “I forgive you, boy. Don’t worry about it too much,” he said. “Just remember to ask next time, will ya?”

Tetris stepped forward. “I’m Tobias Reyes,” the Riolu said, “and this is my best friend Kievr Ryough. Most people just call me Tetris, though.”

“That’s a helluva name,” the Emboar commented. “Where’d ya get it?”

Tetris realized this was a question he couldn’t properly answer. He scratched his head in thought, and in giving up turned to Kievr. “Do you remember why? Cause I can’t, for the life of me.”

Kievr shook his head. “I don’t recall, either. Strange. I’ve called you Tetris for almost eight years, it has to be important somehow, yes?”

Everyone in the room shrugged. “Eh, guess it don’t matter much right now. I’m not terribly pleased,” said the Emboar, “but since we’re passing out introductions, I’m Elias Chancell. You’ve obviously met my son, Xavier- how did you meet him, anyhow?”

Kievr stepped forward and filled him in on the offer Xavier had extended to them back at city hall.

“We shouldn’t be more than a week, sir,” he added at the end. “Only so long as we need.”

Elias rubbed a hand under his chin. He grumbled something, then in a louder tone said, “I’d have to consult my husband on that one. I am not happy I wasn’t told any of this beforehand-”

“Like I said, i-it wasn’t planned,” Xavier defended himself.

His dad waved him down. “I get that, Xavier. I do. But as far as I’m concerned, this is gonna affect all of us in this house. The least I need to do is get everyone’s opinions.” He turned and called up the stairs, “Hey, babe? Could you come down here for a minute?”

The thudding of footfalls signalled the arrival of a Samurott down the stairwell. His steps were careful and elegant, like a dancer on stage. “Yes, dear- ah. I thought I heard unfamiliar voices in this house. I believe I am owed an explanation.”

Elias took the moment to relay all that had happened to the water-type. “Basically,” he finished, “we’re looking at some charity work without extra help. What do you think, Samuel?”

Samuel went into a state of deep thought, his expression matching the mood. After a while he and said, “I would like to help, but I’m not sure if we have the resources to bear.” To the pair, he asked, “What is your situation with employment?”

“We’ll be looking for work as soon as we can,” Kievr said. He was confident that it wouldn’t be terribly hard to find even an entry-level position somewhere. Minimal pay, perhaps, but still work nonetheless. “Once we’ve gained some financial security, we’ll be on our own.”

“That’s not a guarantee you’ll have work,” Samuel sighed aloud. “I’m frankly disappointed that Xavier clearly hadn’t bothered to ask you anything about your situation.”

“B-But they looked like they needed help!” The Zoroark argued.

“You can’t blindly throw yourself at a situation and hope that good faith will make it better, son,” Samuel asserted. “I raised you to be better than that. A calculated plan of approach would have made this situation a lot easier to discuss.”

Xavier shrunk away, again shamed.

“Well, we’re not asking them to pay rent, Sam,” Elias argued. “I’d say so long as they don’t make a mess or destroy anything, they might be okay to take the spare room.”

“That’s not my point, Elias. I have no reason to doubt they’re decent people, but we’re not in a position to do this.” Samuel made his retort with a sharp bite to it. “We just moved into this house last year, and if the landlord finds out we’re hosting the homeless-”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Tetris said with an eye roll.

“What I’m saying is that keeping you two here for even a day will cost us food and potentially put us in hot water.” Samuel’s tone was fierce and unwavering. “I am not putting my family on the line for two kids who, for all I know, are just runaways.”

“Excuse you, asshole, I’m 20,” Tetris spat. “And we are not runaways. We came here to Paradicio to get out of Sasbara and-”

“Stop.” Kievr smacked a paw into his friend’s chest. “You are not improving our outlook by being pedantic.”

“He’s the one being an uptight prick!” Tetris half-whispered. “I’m trying to-”

“Will you be quiet for one minute and listen?!” Kievr barked. “I am not letting you ruin this with your incessant need to run your mouth!”

Tetris huffed, turned, and pouted with his back to the Quilava. Kievr, in turn, sighed and looked back to the Chancells. “Sorry. My friend is fairly short-tempered.”

“No trouble, hm?” Samuel questioned. “I’m starting to not believe you.”

Kievr sighed. The chance was probably gone now. “I’d very much like to prove your doubts wrong. Give us three days, then, at most.”

Samuel shook his head. “No. Now, you have ten seconds to get out of my house before I inform the police-”

Xavier cut in with a loud, “Why can’t we just be good people and do a good thing?”

Everyone turned to stare at the Zoroark. Elias spoke, “What are you getting at, kiddo?”

“You’ve always told me to be kind,” Xavier feverishly argued, “and that helping others live their best lives helps me be a better person, too. Both of you taught me that.” He pointed at the Riolu and Quilava by him. “I want to be a good person by helping them! If we can’t do that… if it’s not the right thing, then at least we’re doing a  _ good _ thing!”

The room went silent for a long minute. Nobody was keen on answering the implications of Xavier’s statement.

Samuel broke the mood first. “Give us a moment,” he said, pulling Elias around so they could talk in secret.

“Damn, he really got us there,” Elias muttered. “Good play.”

“He’s right, unfortunately,” Samuel replied, also in a hushed tone. “What kind of role models would we be if we were to go back on our raising of him?”

“Kid’s smart, using our words against us. Gotta hand it to him.”

“So what do we do?”

“I think you already know my answer, hon.”

“...right.”

The fathers turned around back towards the younger ones. Samuel said with a sigh, “Alright. Fine. We’ll give you two nights, and two nights only. I expect you to use the daytime to search for employment and other shelter. Is that clear?”

Kievr nodded. “Absolutely, thank you.”

Xavier cheered, excited and incredibly relieved his speech had moved them. “You won’t be sorry, father!”

“I best not. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Samuel headed to the stairs, gesturing on the way for Elias to come with him. The Emboar gave his husband a nod, then turned to Tetris and Kievr, and said with a smile, “Well, seems like this worked out in your favor. Might wanna consider yourselves lucky; I don’t think most other folks would give you a chance like this. Just don’t break anything, please?” He left for the upstairs.

The Zoroark took his new temporary housemates into a hug. “Oh man, I’m so glad that worked out.”

“As am I,” Kievr replied. His posture had slumped under the weight of potentially getting turned away. “Thank the gods for our coincidental meeting. And thank you for stepping up.”

“Y-You’re welcome, ehehe.” Xavier blushed in some pride. “Oh- and thank you for not freaking out about the fact I have two dads.”

Tetris and Kievr asked in unison, “Why would we?”

“I-I’m adopted, if that wasn’t clear,” the Zoroark confessed. “Some people get really upset when they figure that out and realize my parents aren’t, um, straight. Dad and Father, they’ve been through a lot of tough times because of who they are. Because of me, too. So, thanks.

“Anyways, the room’s on the ground floor. This way.”

Out of the living room, through the kitchen and past the bathroom the three went. Xavier pointed out small details about the house as they traveled. Kievr listened intently, but Tetris had pulled back into a half-daydream. Getting even temporary housing was a damn miracle, but a gut feeling told him this could go wrong. If the Riolu was even remotely lucky, they could stay the three days and be gone without any trouble. Trouble, though, followed him. And he could feel that trouble was coming for him sooner rather than later.

The bedroom was tucked away at the back end of the house. Tetris and Kievr could tell it was the spare room, because all that was in it was a full-size mattress and a floor lamp next to it. The walls were a boring beige and the carpet a similarly drab shade of grey.

Tetris shrugged as he entered. “Hey, at least we don’t have to sleep on the floor. Or the couch,” he commented. “We can do three days in here.”

“You say that as if we’re prisoners,” Kievr replied in an uptight tone. “A room’s a room. Thank you again, Xavier.”

Xavier bowed at a shallow angle. “You’re welcome.” He paused. “I should get going. I’ve got paperwork to get to my mentor.”

The Zoroark turned to exit, but a lightbulb went off in his head at the same moment. He spun back on his heels and asked, “Hey, why don’t you come with me? Maybe you could talk to him. He might have a job or two for you to do. M-Maybe.”

“I may as well. Paid work is the priority now,” Kievr answered. “Will you come with us, Tetris?”

The Riolu shrugged. “I was thinking of hitting the market. Maybe someone needs an errand boy. I’m fast enough.”

Kievr wanted to say that such a job wasn’t likely to happen, but Tetris probably wouldn’t have cared anyway. Instead he said, “Alright then. We’ll return here in about three hours. We can discuss what we’ve found at that point and see how our new life is starting to line up.”

All three exchanged nods. Back out the front door they went, off into the streets. Xavier and Kievr headed east, where Xavier claimed his mentor’s workplace was. Tetris took a turn southwest, back toward the town square and hopefully close the business district.

The two hoped that there was something waiting for them at the end of the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have been patient since Chapter 1 went up, thank you. My apologies for taking so damn long on this second chapter; I made a cross-country move at the start of December and have been trying to get settled in. Now that I've gotten myself together, I'll be looking to post much more regularly, at least once a month. Hope to see you in April!


End file.
